Keep VAT
in abeyance: IYC PresidentChandigarh, April 10The Indian Youth Congress today
alleged that the implementation of value-added tax in Haryana was
"a revengeful act on the part of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash
Chautala, against the trading community for its traditional hostility
and opposition to the Indian National Lok Dal".

KU
question paper leaked againHisar, April 10Leakage of questions papers in the
Kurukshetra University examinations has left students bewildered. Today,
it was the fourth question paper, in a row which was available at
varying prices in the market much before the commencement of Hindi
examination of BA (second year).

Haryana IAS officers transferredChandigarh, April 10The Haryana Government tonight ordered a major administrative reshuffle, involving several senior IAS officers. One aim of the reshuffle seems to end ad hocism, as many key departments, which were being looked after by officers as additional charges, now get full time commissioners and secretaries.

POSTINGS/ TRANSFERSDIG, 12 DSPs shiftedChandigarh, April 10The Haryana Government has
transferred and posted a DIG and 12 DSPs. Mr BS Sandhu, DIG, training,
will look after the duties of the DIG, Haryana Armed Police, Madhuban,
in addition to his own duties till further orders. Mr Chander Singh,
DSP, Dabwali, and Mr Desh Bandhu, DSP Panchkula, would swap their places
of posting.

Ambala Sadar MC President suspendedAmbala, April 10The president of Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, Mr Shankar Dass, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect. An order to this effect was passed by the Director, Urban Development, Haryana, yesterday.

Stories from Haryana towns falling in the
National Capital Region are put in NCR Tribune.

Planetarium
in Kalpana’s memoryKurukshetra, April 10A high-powered committee, in its
meeting held under the chairmanship of the Union Tourism and Culture
Minister, Mr Jagmohan, in Delhi yesterday, reviewed all projects related
to the promotion of tourism and formally approved the construction of a
planetarium here.

BKU
suspends dharna for monthRohtak, April 10In view of the harvesting season,
the Bharatiya Kisan Union today suspended for a month its statewide
dharna and fast programme, launched last month to press for the release
of its leader Ghasi Ram Nain from jail.

Chandigarh, April 10
The Indian Youth Congress today alleged that the implementation of value-added tax (VAT) in Haryana was "a revengeful act on the part of the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, against the trading community for its traditional hostility and opposition to the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)".

Making this allegation at a Press conference here today the Youth Congress President, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, demanded that the Haryana VAT Act, 2003, should be kept in abeyance by issuing an Ordinance and a fresh decision should be taken on it after deliberations in the Assembly and after prior consultation with various trade organisations.

Mr Surjewala, who also led a delegation of party workers to submit a memorandum to the Haryana Governor in this regard, said the implementation of VAT in Haryana, when neighbouring states had deferred it, was "the reflection of Mr Chautala's anti-trader and anti-small shopkeeper attitude".

He said the state had neither the infrastructure nor the trained manpower to implement VAT, which would only lead to unnecessary harassment of traders and consumers. It would also establish
inspector raj and encourage corruption.

Supporting his contention that VAT would add to the burden on the common man, Mr Surjewala said earlier 80 items of mass consumption were exempted from sales tax. The list of
exempted items had now been reduced to 30. "The Haryana Government has sought to impose additional tax worth several crores of rupees under the garb of VAT," he alleged.

He said the Haryana Act had given unlimited powers to the staff of the Excise and Taxation Department with regard to inspection of business premises and seizure of account books, which would leave the traders at the mercy of the unscrupulous staff.

Hisar, April 10
Leakage of questions papers in the Kurukshetra University examinations has left students bewildered.

Today, it was the fourth
question paper, in a row which was available at varying prices in the market much before the commencement of Hindi examination of BA (second year).

A few students handed over a question paper to Principal Subhash Sharma in D.N. College at 11.55 am. It was being circulated among the students very fast. Contents of the question paper were tallied with the one distributed in the centres after two hours.

SDM Balraj Singh Mor and Mr Sharma rang up the Controller of Examinations, Kurukshetra University, and informed him about of the situation. The university acknowledged that question paper of today’s examination leaked yesterday. The paper may be cancelled and fresh date announced soon.

Earlier, the question paper of BA III English (B) also was cancelled due to leakage. The question papers of B.A. II English and B.A. I Hindi were also leaked out. No action is said to have been taken. The students seem to be confused as they would have to appear again in the same paper and some students of villages may miss the examination on the new dates for lack of communication.
UNI

Kurukshetra, April 10
The examination of Kurukshetra University held today for the paper bearing Code No. 102/BAM/A03 Hindi (compulsory) of B.A., Part-II (for regular candidates only) has been cancelled. This was disclosed by the Controller of Examinations of the university, Dr J.S. Kadian, here today.

He said the re-examination in this paper will now be held on April 27 (Sunday) and the venue and schedule will remain the same.

Chandigarh, April 10
The Haryana Government tonight ordered a major administrative reshuffle, involving several senior IAS officers. One aim of the reshuffle seems to end ad hocism, as many key departments, which were being looked after by officers as additional charges, now get full time commissioners and secretaries. However, the reshuffle seems to be incomplete because the posting orders of a number of officers affected by today’s orders have either not been issued or certain key slots remain vacant.

Mrs Promilla
Issar, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Industrial Training and Vocational Education, has been posted as Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Home, Jails, Criminal Investigation and Administration of Justice Departments. These departments were at present being looked after Mr
B.D. Dhalia, who is also the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, which is a full-time job.

Another significant change in today’s reshuffle is the combining of the two important departments of power and irrigation under one officer. In fact, this used to be the practice at one time, perhaps because power and irrigation are closely linked in Haryana. However, the practice was discontinued a few years ago. Mr Pradeep Kumar, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Irrigation, will now also look after power, which was being held by Mr Bhaskar Chatterjee so far in addition to the Town and Country Planning Department and Tourism.

However, the government has not clarified if Mr Pradeep Kumar, who will also be the Resident Financial Commissioner, Haryana
Bhavan, Delhi, will also be the Chairman of the four power companies.

Another major change made today is the transfer of the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Mr Raj Kumar, who goes as Commissioner and Secretary, Health. Mr Raj Kumar, who was also the State Transport Controller, has been transferred at a time when the state is in the process of implementing VAT. His successor is yet to be named.

Mr Devender Singh, considered to be one of the blue-eyed boy of the government, gets the coveted post of the Managing Director,
HAFED, relieving Mr S.S. Dhillon of the additional charge. Mr Devender Singh was Director, Industries, Mines and Geology.

Mrs Jaiwanti Sheokand, Chief Administrator, Housing Board and MD, Warehousing Corporation, will change places with Mr Amit
Jha, as Director and Special Secretary, Development and Panchayats and Rural Development. It is not known who will replace her as the MD, Warehousing Corporation.

Mr Raj Kumar has been shifted from the election office on the day when the Fatehabad Assembly byelection was announced by the Election Commission of India. Informed sources say the model code of conduct had come into force today itself, though formal notification would be issued on April 25.

Ambala, April 10
The president of Municipal Council, Ambala Sadar, Mr Shankar Dass, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect. An order to this effect was passed by the Director, Urban Development, Haryana, yesterday.

The order comes in the wake of a vigilance case registered against him by the State Vigilance Bureau on November 19, 2002, under Sections 409/418/420/447/448/120-B of the IPC and Sections 13(1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act in a case pertaining to the construction and expansion of four shops in a commercial centre of Sadar Bazar, Ambala Cantonment.

Earlier, the Director, Urban Development Department, had served a show-cause notice to Mr Dass, asking him as to why action under Section 22 A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973, should not be taken against him and why he should not be removed from the post of following the registration of an FIR.

In his reply, Mr Dass stated that since the government had accepted the report of the Director, State Vigilance Bureau in the inquiry, the same should have been made available to him. He said the allegations against him were politically motivated and 26 councillors, present in the meeting of August 31, 2002, had approved the changes in these shops by the way of a resolution in the presence of the then Executive Officer, Mr
S.K. Goyal.

The then ADC, Mr Mahender Kumar, had conducted the inquiry into the case, following the suspension of the resolution by the Deputy Commissioner at the instance of the Executive Officer and had found them guilty of favouring the shopkeepers.

Later, Mr Dass had prayed for a personal hearing, which was granted to him for April 8. He appeared before the Director in the presence of the Executive Officer, Ambala Sadar, and had appreciated the fact that for the first time in such proceedings under Section 22-A, a proper show-cause notice had been issued and a copy of the report of the Director, Vigilance, provided to him. However, he reiterated his previous points and made no fresh submissions. He pleaded that no action be taken against him till the criminal matter was sorted out.

Mr Dass had applied for an anticipatory bail, which was declined by the Sessions Court here and was lying pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, his arrest has been stayed till April 28.

It may be recalled that the issue pertaining to these shops was raised in the MC House meeting in 2000 and a resolution was passed affecting an increase in the rent of these shops and the height of the roof top. However, the resolution was later suspended by the DC. On the basis of this, Mr Dass was booked, along with three councillors, Mr Raj Kumar Garg, Mr Rajesh Kumar and Dr Ved Prakash, besides the building inspector, Mr K.K. Verma, and the rent clerk, Mr
B.L. Wadhwa.

Kurukshetra, April 10
A high-powered committee, in its meeting held under the chairmanship of the Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Mr Jagmohan, in Delhi yesterday, reviewed all projects related to the promotion of tourism and formally approved the construction of a planetarium here.

Stating this to mediapersons here today, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Abhilaksh Likhi, said the proposed planetarium would be constructed on two acres at a cost of Rs 12 crore, most probably, at Kurukshetra Panorama and the Shri Krishna Museum Complex here under the revenue generating and self financing scheme.

Mr Likhi said the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, had already announced that the planetarium would be constructed in the memory of Kalpana Chawla at Kurukshetra. About seven lakh tourists had visited Kurukshetra Panorama as well as Shri Krishna Museum so far, Mr Likhi added.

Mr Likhi said another site near All India Institute of Hotel Management and Environmental Park as well as Mahabharat Battle Park, adjoining Jyotisar, where Lord Krishna was believed to have delivered the immortal message of Gita to Arjuna, had been selected for the construction of planetarium. The idea behind constructing the planetarium at this site was that the tourists could also enjoy the Mahabharata-related light and sound show programme at Jyotisar, Mr Likhi added.

Regarding the ensuing solar eclipse falling on May 31, Mr Likhi said the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India, had also decided to involve itself with the publicity and promotion of the solar eclipse fair at the national level, because about 15 lakh pilgrims take a holy dip in the sacred Brahamsarover and Sannihit tank here on the occasion.

Rohtak, April 10
In view of the harvesting season, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) today suspended for a month its statewide dharna and fast programme, launched last month to press for the release of its leader Ghasi Ram Nain from jail.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the sate executive committee of the BKU held here, a press note issued by
treasure Risaldar Dharam Singh said.

Announcing the lifting of dharnas and fast at all district headquarters of the state, Mr Dharam Singh said anyone continuing with dharna and fast would have nothing to do with the BKU.
UNI

Chandigarh, April 10
In order to check and prevent atrocities on women the Haryana police has decided to set up women flying squads (Helpline) at all range headquarters and at the police headquarters, Panchkula. Mr M.S. Malik, DGP, said here today that the women helpline would work round-the-clock. Special cells for crime against women had already been established at all range headquarters.
TNS